The coat and nails of an Australian Labradoodle require consistent weekly maintenance and monthly grooming for them to look and feel their best.
Caring for your Australian Labradoodles coat is actually very easy, as long as you keep on top of it, brush regularly, and make sure you are combing all the way to the skin. If you let the coat care slip however, it can get out of hand quickly.
We introduce the puppies to handling at an early age. We will look over the coat, mess with the ears, open the mouth and inspect the teeth, touch the paws and nails, we begin nail trims at 5 weeks and continue weekly, we get them used to the feel of a Dremel, pull gently on the tail, they have multiple baths and have experienced the dryer all to get the puppy introduced to the many years of handling they will endure.
Upon going home, it is important to introduce your puppy to the grooming process early and on a regular basis, so he will be comfortable with the process when he is older. If started young, your puppy will learn to love brushing and grooming.
On this page I have a section for puppy grooming and adult grooming as each stage is very different and has different needs.
Grooming
What does at home grooming maintenance for a puppy look like?
Handle your puppy everyday. Get him accustomed to you playing with his ears, rubbing his belly, touching every paw pad, lifting the sides of his mouth to see his teeth.
A few times a week brush the puppy’s coat with a metal comb or slicker brush. Check for mats. Areas most prone to matting are the chest, neck around the collar, armpits, behind and under the ears.
Weekly: Trim nails, clean ears, and brush coat
Monthly: Check the ears for hair growth inside the ear canal and clean.
Regularly check that the sanitary area is clean. Since puppies are so low to the ground they have a tendency to graze the ground while urinating and can wick bacteria onto the hair which can lead to urinary tract infections.
Puppy Grooming
What kind of grooming does my puppy need?
At 8 weeks the puppy coat is still very fine and will not require much brushing at all. However it is important that you continue the handling we have started to keep the puppy accustomed even if it is not needed.
A puppy grooming session at home will likely take 5-10 minutes.
you won’t be going to the groomer until puppy has had all of their shots so it may be helpful to invest in a pair of rounded scissors for the eyes. You want your puppy to be able to see and the face particularly around the eyes, feet pads, and sanitary areas are the quickest to become untidy.
Puppy’s first haircut
Between 4-5 months your puppy is ready for their first groom. The grooming shop can be a loud and overwhelming place so I recommend just getting a quick puppy cut. (Eyes, feet pads, private areas) This is mainly to tidy up and give puppy a short introduction to the groomer. Keep it short and sweet. Schedule puppy’s follow up appointment for a full groom in 6-8 weeks. Depending on how diligent you are with brushing and in between maintenance and how long you would like your dog’s coat to be, will determine how often you will need to make your trips to the groomer.
If you are local I highly recommend Jenny at Top Dog in Conover.
The in-between
The awkward teenage stage
Coat Changes and shedding
Around 7-12 months your puppy will shed his puppy coat and begin to grow in his adult coat. This process takes time and can differ between each individual. You will notice some shedding and will need to be diligent with your brushing during this transition. As the old coat is shedding, it will easily become matted with the new coarser adult coat growing in. Make sure you are not just brushing the top but getting all the way through the coat to the skin. The adult coat once grown in will be coarser and will definitely require more maintenance and brushing. Once your dog gets to 12-14 months the adult coat will be fully established.
What does at home grooming maintenance at this stage look like?
A few times a week brush the puppy’s coat with a metal comb or slicker brush. Check for mats. If you are noticing more matting increase your brushing frequency. Areas most prone to matting are the chest, neck around the collar, armpits, behind and under the ears.
Weekly: Trim nails, clean ears, and brush coat
Monthly: Check the ears for hair growth inside the ear canal and clean.
Regularly check that the sanitary area is clean. Puppy may not be so low to the ground now so less of an issue.
Grooming appointments every 4-8 weeks depending on length
The Adult Coat
Thick, full luxurious
You can maintain a long fleece coat with weekly brushing sessions. An adult in-between session at home will likely take 30-45 minutes depending on length and thickness of coat. Regular bathing is unnecessary. If your dog gets dirty.
What does at home grooming maintenance at this stage look like?
Weekly: brush the dog’s coat with a metal comb or slicker brush. Check for mats. If you are noticing more matting increase your brushing frequency. Areas most prone to matting are the chest, neck around the collar, armpits, behind and under the ears.
Monthly: Check the ears for hair growth inside the ear canal and clean.
Grooming appointments every 4-6 weeks. Depending on length, coat curliness and maintenance routine.
Brushing
Starting at the feet work your way up to the top of the head. Part the hair and brush from the base of the coat in short strokes and small sections with the slicker brush. Once you have brushed through with the slicker brush, check with the metal comb. If the metal comb will glide through the coat with ease, you will know there are no matts.
Bathing
Australian Labradoodles don't need bathed often. Their non-shedding coats have naturally occurring essential oils and lanolin and regularly bathing should be avoided as it strips out these oils. If your dog gets very muddy, give the mud time to dry and then brush it out with a slicker brush. If he rolls in something very smelly though, please give him a bath! If you are going to bath your Australian Labradoodle, brush through the coat thoroughly first. If you do it the other way around, any matting that has begun, will be set hard by the bathing process.
Ear Care
Their ears might not hang this low. But they do have some weight which reduces air flow. When moisture gets trapped in bacteria can grow. Australian Labradoodles also have hair that grows inside their ear canal. If you take your dog to the groomer, they will more than likely remove this hair. It is important that you keep the ears clean and dry in between grooming appointments. Have your groomer bring the long ear hair all the way to the ear leather for short tidy ears.
the Australian Labradoodle Cut
Yes we have a breed standard hair cut
That adorable teddy bear face that we have all come to love depends on getting the cut right. Australian Labradoodles should have a natural, rounded look even right after being groomed. A lot of groomers tend to shave the face and scoop the eyes. Ask your groomer to scissor cut the face so that you get a nice natural looking cut. If you find a picture of a labradoodle cut you like, print it and take it to your groomer. Also follow the link to the right for a grooming card you can print out and give to your groomer.
Ears:
Comb hair downward over the ear. Start at the backside of the ear with a scissors and cut the hair from the base to the tip of the ear, following the ear leather. On the front edge of the ear, blend into the sides of the face with the thinning shears. Taper the tip.
Under the ear flap, keep the hair clipped to allow for good air flow into the ear canal.
Eyes:
Use a thinning shears to clip the inside corner of the eyes in an inverted V pattern. This creates a more natural look and keeps the hair from poking at or covering their eyes. It also makes it easier to clean any matter out from the corner in the morning.
Chin:
Blend to any length. Using the thinning shears, start just below the ear and cut down towards the chin.